Maxwell Frederick's "Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay

Nature of classes:

  • Compared to what I expected of University courses, their structure, delivery and other aspects were mostly lackluster. Aside from the shock of going from High School esque Class styles, both the lecture and discussion portions of classes I have taken this year have not lived up to what I had initially hoped. For example, I have to take a chemistry class and its respective lab for my majors, with it being split weekly into two asynchronous lectures, a short discussion and a lab. The lectures especially were a source of contempt for me, not only in their structure but in every possible way. The fact that they were asynchronous left very little room for asking questions- especially because the professor was not very quick to respond to emails. The lectures themselves were almost completely unnecessary, as it boiled down to the professor just restating what was in the textbook reading that was due the night before and solving some relevant problems. The discussion was slightly better, with the TA once again restating main points from the reading but with the option to now solve problems and ask questions real-time. Lastly, the lab itself was extremely divided as far as positives and negatives went, correlating entirely with whether or not said lab was virtual or in person. Often, virtual labs were videoed very poorly, with some essential parts being completely off-screen. Another high profile example of this poor way of teaching was the math class I took this semester. Once again, lectures added nothing of value to the course, with the professor simply restating what was in the textbook (that they wrote). Discussions for the class were horrible, with fellow students refusing to speak while trying to solve problems together- resulting in a crippling amount of demotivation for the course later in the semester. I even had to reach out to the TA and later the professor regarding these issues, to which nothing was done. While I have singled out my chemistry and math classes as examples, some of these issues were still prevalent (albeit less extreme) in my other courses, especially with Lectures being the epitome of unengaging (this may just be due to my lack of experience in these types of courses however, but it was still a major shock going from HS to this).
  • CPSG100:

  • For the most part, everything that we covered I expected. One slight exception to this was the impacts of global climate change before the Victorian era. I found this extremely interesting to learn about and am truthfully surprised I have not heard much of the subject before attending college! Something that we have not explored in this course that I was looking forward to was a deep dive into paleontology. I have been fascinated by everything prehistoric since I was very little, and was even going to take GEOL204 if I had room in my schedule next semester! As far as out of class activities go, the only ones that I remember vividly are the workshops/modules and the excursion. Although there were a lot of interesting exhibits that were closed at the Zoo the time I went, I enjoyed being able to visit it for the first time and can not wait to revisit it when everything else is open! I also participated in a quick Calculus workshop, which helped me greatly on the subject that was covered in it! Likewise, I participated in a procrastination workshop, which gave me plenty of skills and tactics I have been using since to get myself more motivated to finish my daily workload!
  • Life as a University Student

  • As a student living in Centreville, college life is mostly what I expected coming into college. The primary concerns that I had initially were being able to study peacefully and live independently, both of which are very accomplishable in my own dorm room. Living without a roommate has been very useful in this regard as well, as I am able to concentrate far more effectively. One issue that I definitely did not expect having was the food. In almost its entirety, the food itself at UMD is amazing. However, I have been learning throughout my time at Centreville that a healthy sleep schedule is basically mandatory to eat three meals a day at the dining halls. The nearest one, the Diner, operates from 7/10AM to 9PM depending on what day of the week. Being a strict night owl, there are nights where I can easily stay up until 3AM and wake up around midday. Unfortunately, this often means that I go to sleep and wake up absolutely starved, and I have had to prepare a lot of low-budget unhealthy food options because of this. Likewise, over the past few weeks nights have begun to get extremely cold, further encouraging me to simply stay indoors and make a quick snack for `dinner`. Aside from the unexpected tragedies caused by falling asleep late and waking up late, college life has been relatively calm and uneventful.
  • Advice:

  • As my own experience on campus has been during a pandemic, the Advice I can give likely won`t apply nearly as effectively as I would like it to for future students. One issue that I have noticed becoming a problem for myself is that of exercise. With nearly every class just a button press or two away, there is a lot less required movement for students at the end of the day. This is a slippery slope that can easily lead to a far more stationary lifestyle, which is extremely unhealthy. Setting a routine for one`s self can help immensely in this regard, such as going for daily runs, visiting the gym, going to the pool et cetera. Along with this, I have found it personally to be extremely difficult making friends this semester, especially due to classes being online. I greatly stress incoming students to interact with their fellow students and community in general through extracurriculars or events offered through the school to build relationships that would otherwise come about through meeting others organically in classes.
  • Last modified: 14 December 2020